Roster projection by NLI signing day classes 2011-2014

[Carl Spackler]

I'm going to do this unscientific: I'm looking at signing day lists only of NLI signees - and going with who I think will be on the fall roster for Villanova Sept. 4. Not including Feb. 2015 signees? They don't count. Freshmen. Anything from that class is gravy. Don't build a winning program on a class of freshmen 3 months removed from high school, but the following is the roster of NLI recruits that are expected to be contributors as far as I'm concerned.

FWIW: Being an NLI signing day recruit - typically has a very important kind of list of characteristics that goes along with the whole thing, that is different from the way other players make it on to a roster, and IMNSHO, kind of important to sustained success at whatever level you are playing at. Not the least of that list of characteristics, is that the process of identifying the player, recruiting the player and making sure it's a proper fit - usually takes the best part of 2 years.

2011 Signing day:

Andrew Adams
Kenton Adeyemi
Julian Campenni
Max DeLorenzo
Dalton Gifford
Wilbert Lee
Paul Nkwojeii
Marquise Vann

2012 Signing day:

Kyle Bockeloh
Jazzmar Clax (best football name -EVER)
Jordan Floyd
John Green
John Hicks
Richard Levy
Ellis Marder
Obi Melifonwu
Mikal Myers
Bobby Puyol
Zach Rugg
Tyler Samra
Omaine Stephens
Jhavon Williams

2013 Signing Day:

Tim Boyle
Chris Britton
Foley Fatukasi
Javon Hadley
Tommy Hopkins
Junior Joseph
Brian Lemelle
Thomas Lucas
Josh Marriner
Tommy Myers
Cole Ormsby
Kyle Shafenacker
Cameron Stapelton
Jalen Stevens
Matt Walsh

2014 Signing Day:

James Atkins
Alec Bloom
Luke Carrezola
Ryan Crozier
Vontae Diggs
Steve Hashemi
Ron Johnson
Sheridan Lawley
Brice McAllister
Arkeel Newsome
Daniel Oak
Trey Rutherford
Jamar Summers
Anthony Watkins


That is 51 athletes by my count. FIVE ONE. 52 if McQuillan stays.

The projected starting OL and depth, how they came to UCONN, and where their class rankings are, and experience level - is really no further than you need to look as to forming a pretty strong conclusion as to the reason why we have sucked so bad on offense for the past few years.

Hopefully the guys coming back can get it turned around. But offense is all about tempo, execution and procedure. Coaching.

Do with this info what you will. We are on yet another offensive coordinator. Hell, I'm going to drive myself to a bottle if I keep typing.

We'll see against Villanova where we at. Finding the positive - looking at the basic numbers - we are going to be back on track by NLI signing day 2016.

After that, Diaco is on the clock for me. I'm hopeful for a post season game for the 2015 season. I don't think it's an unrealistic goal. It's always the goal to start a season. 2014 was a toss away season. 2015 can't be, that's all.

 

[Carl Spackler]

What's interesting to me, in reviewing all this today, is that Pasqualoni came on board and immediately found the numbers problem, but went to a model of filling rosters by stacking recruits in prep schools for high school PG semesters. Lots of players that he stacked up that ended up being academic casualities by the following springs. Dobbs, Sylva, Rennick Bryan - just off the top of my head. I'm sure there were more. Players with the physical ability, but needed to show the academic development for at least one high school PG semester to make it on to the roster. I wonder where we be now if many of those players did actually make it academically. Hindsight.

Diaco is taking the opposite approach, with the preferred walk on status. He is bringing in players into the program umbrella that are already academic qualifiers but have to show the physical development to compete to earn that spot onto the scholarship roster. Each method of backfilling a roster has it's pluses and minuses. But both Pasqualoni and Diaco have come on board and immediately had lots of players on the lists to backfill the rosters in addition to NLI recruits. Should tell you something aout the 2007-2011 five year cycle.

We had a hiccup with the Pasqualoni coaching turn over, but 3 years of recruiting at least as many possible through NLI cycles through with Diaco's PWO plan for players that are already academic qualifiers, that regarding athletes that are fits for the school, but need physical development - will have us back on track to a solid recruiting profile roster by fall 2016.

How the 2015 season turns out, will say a lot about Diaco's development as a head coach when it comes to actually winning games.

With different coaching hires, (and that includes both Pasqualoni and Diaco) - winning football, could have been carried over farther from 2010 into the 2011 season, and the downward spiral starting with the 5-7 2012 repeat of 5-7 2011, continuing through 2013-2014 - did not need to fall off the cliff so hard with game field performance - but the recruiting numbers problem - is independent of all that.

I expect to see coaching improve in 2015.

 

[UConnJim]

I'm going to do this unscientific: I'm looking at signing day lists only of NLI signees - and going with who I think will be on the fall roster for Villanova Sept. 4. Not including Feb. 2015 signees? They don't count. Freshmen. Anything from that class is gravy. Don't build a winning program on a class of freshmen 3 months removed from high school, but the following is the roster of NLI recruits that are expected to be contributors as far as I'm concerned.

FWIW: Being an NLI signing day recruit - typically has a very important kind of list of characteristics that goes along with the whole thing, that is different from the way other players make it on to a roster, and IMNSHO, kind of important to sustained success at whatever level you are playing at. Not the least of that list of characteristics, is that the process of identifying the player, recruiting the player and making sure it's a proper fit - usually takes the best part of 2 years.

2011 Signing day:

Andrew Adams
Kenton Adeyemi
Julian Campenni
Max DeLorenzo
Dalton Gifford
Wilbert Lee
Paul Nkwojeii
Marquise Vann

2012 Signing day:

Kyle Bockeloh
Jazzmar Clax (best football name -EVER)
Jordan Floyd
John Green
John Hicks
Richard Levy
Ellis Marder
Obi Melifonwu
Mikal Myers
Bobby Puyol
Zach Rugg
Tyler Samra
Omaine Stephens
Jhavon Williams

2013 Signing Day:

Tim Boyle
Chris Britton
Foley Fatukasi
Javon Hadley
Tommy Hopkins
Junior Joseph
Brian Lemelle
Thomas Lucas
Josh Marriner
Tommy Myers
Cole Ormsby
Kyle Shafenacker
Cameron Stapelton
Jalen Stevens
Matt Walsh

2014 Signing Day:

James Atkins
Alec Bloom
Luke Carrezola
Ryan Crozier
Vontae Diggs
Steve Hashemi
Ron Johnson
Sheridan Lawley
Brice McAllister
Arkeel Newsome
Daniel Oak
Trey Rutherford
Jamar Summers
Anthony Watkins


That is 51 athletes by my count. FIVE ONE. 52 if McQuillan stays.

The projected starting OL and depth, how they came to UCONN, and where their class rankings are, and experience level - is really no further than you need to look as to forming a pretty strong conclusion as to the reason why we have sucked so bad on offense for the past few years.

Hopefully the guys coming back can get it turned around. But offense is all about tempo, execution and procedure. Coaching.

Do with this info what you will. We are on yet another offensive coordinator. Hell, I'm going to drive myself to a bottle if I keep typing.

We'll see against Villanova where we at. Finding the positive - looking at the basic numbers - we are going to be back on track by NLI signing day 2016.

After that, Diaco is on the clock for me. I'm hopeful for a post season game for the 2015 season. I don't think it's an unrealistic goal. It's always the goal to start a season. 2014 was a toss away season. 2015 can't be, that's all.

THANK YOU!!!! You have finally figured it out!

There were few problems with the roster PP/GDL took over, except RB with Todman leaving early. The roster problem has been with the PP/GDL recruiting classes.

First, you need to add two players to your 2013 list: Dhameer Bradley and Noel Thomas

Look at the numbers that you posted on players remaining from these three years:

2011: 8
2012: 14
2013: 17 (I added 2 to your list)

According to Rivals, those class sizes were 16, 24 (with Bockeloh), and 25 or a total of 65, but only 39 are left! The class of 2012 has lost 10 players and 2013 has already lost 8 players! These are not Edsall's failures, they are PP/GDL's failures and why UConn football is in tough shape. Even the 2011 class shows the PP/GDL problem as only 1 out their 3 recruits is still on the team.

As for 2014, after one season, there have been zero losses (if you exclude Rodrick who was medically disqualified.) This is clearly a positive and encouraging development.

 

[Carl Spackler]

THANK YOU!!!! You have finally figured it out!

There were few problems with the roster PP/GDL took over, except RB with Todman leaving early. The roster problem has been with the PP/GDL recruiting classes.

First, you need to add two players to your 2013 list: Dhameer Bradley and Noel Thomas

Look at the numbers that you posted on players remaining from these three years:

2011: 8
2012: 14
2013: 17 (I added 2 to your list)

According to Rivals, those class sizes were 16, 24 (with Bockeloh), and 25 or a total of 65, but only 39 are left! The class of 2012 has lost 10 players and 2013 has already lost 8 players! These are not Edsall's failures, they are PP/GDL's failures and why UConn football is in tough shape. Even the 2011 class shows the PP/GDL problem as only 1 out their 3 recruits is still on the team.

As for 2014, after one season, there have been zero losses (if you exclude Rodrick who was medically disqualified.) This is clearly a positive and encouraging development.

I had a really good discussion in cesspool recently. Crux of the matter, is that when you really want to understand reality - you must be able to accept that everything you once believed and thought about something could be wrong.

Reality, is that from 2006-2011 or so, we were very, very lucky to have a roster of about 8 offensive lineman, that rank among the leaders ALL TIME for UConn in games started. When you look at that list, there are several names in the top 10 that were all offensive lineman in the Edsall glory years. That is highly irregular. This program rode the backs of those few guys on the OL to 2 co-league titles and multiple bowl games.

If Edsall's recruiting on the OL was so good, and the player development was so good - those few guys - would not hold the records they do for numbers of starts in a UCONN uniform, and we certainly would not have the OL problems we've had through 2 head coaches in 4 years.

At some point, I addressed the concept of roster attrition by numbers on this website. The reality there is also, that the roster attrition during Edsall's 12 years, was not different than the attrition in Pasqualoni's 2.25 years, or so far into Diaco's tenure.

It's all in the numbers. Diaco was very clear about maintaining as close to a 100% attrition rate at the end of the 2014 season, not because he thinks it's an admirable goal (it is - an unrealistic goal though) but because it's necessary to have an above standard attrition to continue to improve the roster development in basic numbers and experience.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Noel Thomas and Dhameer Bradley bring the number of players that have at least 1 season in the program going into 2015 - that were recruited through to completion of an NLI cycle - to 53.

 

[ktuck911]

Noel Thomas and Dhameer Bradley bring the number of players that have at least 1 season in the program going into 2015 - that were recruited through to completion of an NLI cycle - to 53.

an NFL roster limit.. great....

 

[Carl Spackler]

an NFL roster limit.. great....

I'm pretty sure, that if you made the same kind of list last season with the same criteria it would be less.